Shipments of ultra-HD TV panels surge: report

By Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Fri, Aug 23, 2013 - Page 13

Global shipments of ultra-high-definition LCD TV panels nearly doubled last month from June, with Innolux Corp (群創光電) grabbing more than 70 percent of the market, NPD DisplaySearch said yesterday.

Shipments of ultra-high-definition, or 4K2K, TV panels soared 94 percent to 260,300 units last month from 134,000 units in June, driven primarily by demand from China, the US market researcher said in a report.

That brought total shipments of 4K2K TV panels to 810,000 units in the first seven months of the year, and could reach 1 million units by the end of next month, it said.

“Almost all major panel makers have shipped [4K2K] panels. More panel companies are set to join the 4K2K LCD TV panel battle to vie for a share,” NPD DisplaySearch said.

“Demand from TV brands will surge again for the October holiday shopping season [in China], bringing the shipment of 4K2K TV sets and panel to a peak,” it added.

Innolux accounted for 73 percent of the market last month, while AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) ranked second with 12 percent, the report showed. Chinese panel maker China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co (華星光電) took the third spot.

Miaoli-based Innolux is the first panel maker to roll out 4K2K TV panels early this year in an effort to compete with South Korean rivals LG Display Co and Samsung Electronics Co, which were originally focused on developing new-generation OLED panels.